Judd Apatow’s latest film, The Bubble, takes you on a meta journey through the making of the smash-hit dino action franchise film Cliff Beasts 6. As we follow the ensemble cast through the wacky world of movie magic, you might hear some film-specific terminology you’re unaware of—and a bit of talk about dinosaur genitalia, but that’s beside the point.

A movie set is full of nicknames, terms and multifaceted job roles that keep the reels rolling, so it can be confusing figuring out what’s what. But fear not! For those who are curious about — or not familiar with — Hollywood industry lingo, we’ve compiled 15 movie set terms to keep you in the loop while watching The Bubble. Added bonus: It could come in handy someday if you ever make your own bloated dinosaur flick. 

Animal Trainer: Whether you need to tame a fussy falcon or make a dog bark on cue, animal trainers have got you covered. Animal trainers use various forms of positive reinforcement techniques to train creatures of all types to perform specific behaviors on camera. They are generally responsible for keeping the animals happy, healthy and safe from any flying dinosaurs that might be loose on set. 

Call Time: This is the time the cast and crew of a production need to be on set and ready to work. It is vital, even for a sixth film in a franchise about territorial dinosaurs, that everyone stays on schedule so that production can stay on budget.

COVID Compliance Officer: A person on set who makes sure that the cast and crew are following local COVID-19 testing protocols and regulations.  

Directors’ Jail, Also Known as “Movie Jail”: This is the proverbial hellscape no director wants to be in. Essentially, it’s when society or a studio head has deemed you unfit to carry a movie and then you lose the project or get replaced by a better director, like Jon Favreau.

EPK Person: The EPK person is a film production documentarian who records candid, behind-the-scenes material and interviews the cast and crew between takes on set to be used later for promotion of the film or television show. An underrated role relegated to serving professional fancams.

Executive Chairman: A high-level position that is one notch above a studio executive. They are involved with financial planning, reading scripts, giving notes and turning the intellectual property into a film or television show. 

“Footage in the Can”: A super casual way to say that a movie or television show has finished shooting. 

Motion Capture, or “Mo-Cap,” Person: Actors who wear skintight Lycra suits dotted with markers to capture movements and data for a digitally enhanced scene. Think Andy Serkis playing Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. They also double as stand-ins for actors on set so that the director and production crew can perfect their camera eyeline and framing. After shooting and during postproduction, the motion data is then blended with the look and feel of anything the director wants, like a TikTok dancing dinosaur. 

Producer: Behind every great film there’s a sleep-deprived producer problem solving and in a timely fashion. Without them there would be no director, script or creative team to even begin the filming process. Similarly to a director, a producer’s job is to further a project from the conceptual stage to the end. This includes pitching a movie to studios, securing rights to a story, hiring the creative team (i.e., director, cast and crew) and lining up financial backers. Oh, and if they’ve done a great job at balancing their multiple hats, all that hard work is awarded with a Best Picture win at the Academy Awards.  

Production Coordinator: These extremely organized individuals assist the production manager by overseeing administrative tasks like answering emails, managing production assistants and making sure the clerical side of a production operates smoothly.

Representative, or “Rep”: An actor’s most trusted adviser — or frenemy, depending on their personality. Representatives are agents who double as their client’s hype man while trying to find them their next job in the industry. They curate scripts, facilitate auditions, set up meetings, offer career advice and negotiate contracts on behalf of their talent. 

Studio Chairman: Studio chairmen are high-level businesspeople who represent the film studio distributing the project. They report to other executive chairmen about a film’s production schedule, budget, marketing and revenue goals. In the case of Cliff Beasts, they are really keeping a close eye on that dinosaur genitalia budget.

Studio Head: The head honcho of a studio who greenlights a script that goes into production and becomes a movie. Similar to a director but on a much larger scale, they oversee the entire operation of a studio and its various departments (i.e., production, publicity, finances and film distribution), and report to the studio chairman. When they’re not overseeing the producer’s every move from their cushy vacation home in Malibu, they can be found spilling tea about any budgetary issues to the studio chairman.

Stunt Coordinator: These badass daredevils bear the responsibility of choreographing all of a production’s stunts, like having to fight flying dinosaurs at the top of Mount Everest. Because of the dangerous nature of some stunt work, they collaborate with and report to the director to ensure the physical safety of all cast and crew while stunts are performed on set. Good luck to anyone training to fight a dinosaur. Couldn’t be us. 

Main Trailer | The BubbleSneaking out. Hooking up. Melting down. The cast and crew of a blockbuster action franchise attempt to shoot a sequel while quarantining at a posh hotel. Watch the Main Trailer for The Bubble now.